


morning after dark

by hanjingyi (notbadbrat)



Series: writober2018 [9]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cliffhangers, Creepy, M/M, Smooching, Writober 2018, just creepy honestly (I guess... I hope?), verbatim challenge for 'ereri-prompts-challenges'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 12:38:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16854106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notbadbrat/pseuds/hanjingyi
Summary: “You would be surprised about how many people hate listening to wannabe-doctors vent or simply go into the details of this field.”“Not really, I guess there are people like that. I’m just not part of the equation. Besides, are you that bad?”“I’ve been told I’m creepy, but I think it was just because of their excessive sensitivity. Actually, who knows? Maybe that’s the reason why I’m still single.”Levi couldn’t help but laugh at that, a pleasant warmth spreading from his chest and seeping into his limbs and cheeks.





	morning after dark

**Author's Note:**

> Verbatim Challenge #prompt1 for @ereri-prompts-challenges | Cliffhanger (blue list) for #13 Writober 2018

The party had been going on for two hours, and the sole reason why Levi was still there resided in the boy leaning against a trunk a couple of trees from where he stood. He had noticed him the moment he arrived, hailed by his friend with loud greetings and large smiles, getting many waves here and there from most of the people dancing and drinking around the bonfire.

Oh, the boy was not exactly your typical  _life of the party_ , alright. Levi noted it right away. He sauntered from friend to acquaintance with easy, a polite smirk curving his lips, hands in the pockets of his blue jeans and shoulders shrugging when he was at the end of a flirty gaze. He struck Levi as one who never went out of a limb, introvert but courteous, not exactly your social type.

He already liked that.

A slight discomfort settled into his stomach whenever the captivating stranger’s gaze swept over where he was, and Levi diverted his eyes elsewhere hoping not to be caught in the process of spying him from afar. He tried to ignore the pull, the curiosity fueled by the awareness of the boy’s presence, but somehow, he always found himself sneaking glances at him.

It went on for an hour or so, moon raising into the sky and lighting up the small clearing in the core of the woodwhere the party had been organized. He was sure that wasn’t exactly legal -a bunch of drunk college students and a fire in the middle of the forest weren’t what you’d call reliable. That’s why he wanted to stay focused and look out in case any of his friends got in trouble -just Hanji, really, who had gone off with the promise of more booze but stopped chatting with a shy, dirty blond guy next to a makeshift table. Not that it was a problem for him, he was the designated driver for the night anyway, so-

“Ehi.”

Turning with a confused expression at the unfamiliar voice, his eyes widened at the sight of the attractive boy from before.

He gulped his saliva down.

“Ehi.”

Up close he was even better. Fingers threading between chocolate brown hair, chiseled features painted in tanned skin tone and the most striking pair of eyes he had ever seen complimenting the whole portrait. He was tall and, Levi betted, full of lean muscles underneath his leather jacket and dark green shirt.

He watched him as the brunet lifted his arm, smiling down at him.

“My name is Eren. I’m sorry if my actions appear to be out of place, but I saw you here alone and I thought you were a loner like me” he admitted, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

Levi was quick to take his hand and shake it with a slightly hesitant hold, listening to him explaining himself. He felt kind of touched, but more than that he stood on guard, not used to being approached so casually like that.

“Ah, my friend is here, too. She just needed a drink and remained over there talking to someone from her class, I guess.”

Indeed, Hanji was still with that guy -Levi was almost sure his name was Moblit-, who appeared to be more comfortable than before, maybe because of the alcohol.

“Is that Hanji Zoe?”

Levi turned with a surprised expression on his face, Eren -right, he had a  _name_  now- gazing at her with a look of recognition.

“You know her?”

Gaze falling on him again, he nodded.

“We follow some class together in med school -I’m studying to become a doctor” he informed him, a proud glint in his blue-green irises. Levi was impressed, and even a bit fascinated. Handsome and clever, it felt like hitting the jackpot. He hoped he wasn’t straight.

“That’s cool. Though I’m sorry you have to deal with her craziness, even if it’s just in class.”

At that, Eren laughed, a throaty sound getting louder by the second. Levi regarded him with a cautious stare, fighting off a smirk of his own.

“S-sorry, it’s… I remembered this one time…”

And just like that, he started telling him about how he knew Hanji and what his classes were about, jumping from one topic to the other in such an endearing way, changing it whenever it seemed like Levi was getting bored, that he even participated to the conversation, making questions and amused noise to learn more about him.

Eren was 23, a year older than himself, and close to finishing his studies at Sina University, a very prestigious -and expensive- school not far from the public college Levi attended. His wealthy background couldn’t have been less obvious, since between his casual outfit and his almost bashful way of speaking, he was nothing like the stereotypical rich guy.

Also, he was fairly well-versed in the mystical art of self-irony. When Levi asked him something maybe a bit too gruesome for the place they were -if he’d ever cut through someone else’s skin for an operation or stuff like that-, Eren’s expression morphed in one of mischief, irises glowing with an hypnotic orange shade coming from the fire. He replied that he had, and at Levi’s request of describing what it was like, Eren remained silent for a bit, observing him with a peculiar glint. He then stated, “I guess if I had to explain it to a non-med fellow student, I would say it’s like cutting meat -pliable with the right pressure”.

Levi had always thought he had a pretty hard stomach, that was why he loved a good horror movie every now and then. He and Hanji firmly believe in the necessity of a good marathon when they had the time, and many of the cinematic works they ended up watching had a large amount of mystery, suspense and scary parts.

Eren’s words made him rethink that a little. It was not the topic, not really -he made the question, after all. No, more like, something in the way he handled his answers, as if he was serious but also amused by it, the careful edge in his voice neither brushing it off nor dealing with it with enthusiasm whatsoever. It felt like he was not only dosing his word choices but controlling what he was going to say and how, too, all the while never shifting his gaze off him.

Maybe Eren was worried about scaring him off? His questions hadn’t been really that standard -maybe he didn’t want to give Levi more than he could chew. If that was the case, he was going to correct that mistake immediately -that was a clear indicator of how much he was interested, he thought to himself. Suddenly, he was glad he had stayed.

“There is no need to be this attentive about your wording, you know. I’m not easily impressionable.”

The brunet looked intrigued, cautious eyes staring at him and reflecting the pale moonlight -giving him a darker, magnetic appearance that had Levi’s knees shaking.

“You would be surprised about how many people hate listening to wannabe-doctors vent or simply go into the details of this field.”

“Not really, I guess there are people like that. I’m just not part of the equation. Besides, are you that bad?”

“I’ve been told I’m  _creepy_ , but I think it was just because of their excessive sensitivity. Actually, who knows? Maybe that’s the reason why I’m still single.”

Levi couldn’t help but laugh at that, a pleasant warmth spreading from his chest and seeping into his limbs and cheeks. He liked his sinister sense of humor -it matched his own- and how honest he seemed to be, though that attentive look kept bothering him, somehow. He was starting to relax a little, conversation carrying with a flow he hadn’t sensed in ages, and he was set on giving Eren as much of a good time as he was offering him.

“You must have talked about med school too much, perhaps? You  _did_ say that tends to drive people away quickly” he joked, head tipping back a little at Eren’s hesitant step forward, a small smile grazing his lips.

“Believe me, those relationships would have turned out to be short anyway, without even thinking about grazing the topic” he argued, grimacing at the thought, annoyance flashing in his face. He opened his mouth to say something else, expression distending and eager, as if he wanted to add more, but halted when Levi grasped the front of his jacket and pulled him in, making Eren avoid some drunken student crushing onto him from the side.

The brunet braced himself with his hands on the portions of the trunk above Levi’s shoulders, head snapping toward who had caused the near-colliding. And  _how_  he stared at the retreating, swaying figure -as if he’d almost made contact with some monstrousthing that needed to be eliminated from the face of earth. It was very intense, but brief, irises unclouding when they lowered to gaze at Levi.

Ah, they were close. He had yanked him away from the threat without thinking, acting on instinct, but now that his arms caged him against the tree and his chest was basically brushing against his nose, Levi felt his throat dry quickly, making him hesitantly lift his head up. He was getting a bit restless, noticing how Eren’s eyes were traveling on him with a strange glint in them. It made Levi shiver.

“That was close. Thank you.”

“These bunch of idiots are not satisfied with getting shitfaced, they have to get shit on your face, too.”

In that moment, he cursed all the things that came into his mind -his humor and shitty jokes, his constant bitching and generally bad demeanor- and that had him running his mouth so casually. That had probably been one of the worst crack lines of his entire life, and he could already feel himself blushing hard because of his misstep. Eren would surely think-

A bursting laugh interrupted the flow of his thoughts. He turned, startled, to regard Eren with caution, trying to gauge if he was laughing  _at_ him or because of what he said. He had taken a step back, but remained close. His eyes held something akin astonishment and wonder, as if Levi had managed to catch him off guard in a good way. Maybe he hadn’t fucked up  _that_ bad.

“I- I’m sorry, I promise I’m not making fun of you, just-“, he shook a bit more, inhaling deeply and getting his breath under control. “Your sense of humor is crazy. I like that” he admitted, grinning widely.

And Levi felt relieved, something inside him buzzing with renewed energy.

“Ehi, uhm…” Eren hesitated, scratching his nape before continuing, “there is this thing that has been bothering me until now…”

“What is it?”

“You haven’t said me your name. I’m not so…  _direct_ , usually, and I originally thought you might not be interested, but now- I don’t want to come forward as cocky, but…”

It was Levi’s turn to smirk, amusement clear on his face.

“You are right.”

“About what?”

“You are cocky. Well, kind of. I am still trying to figure you out.”

Eren’s grin widened, hesitation vanishing from his tone and approach.

“I’d love to give you some more time to figure me out.”

_Are we flirting?,_ a little corner in Levi’s head kept playing, like a broken record. But if they were or not, he couldn’t care less. He was having fun.

“So, what, I’m special?”

“Well, you’re not running away. That’s a good start.”

He had a point, if what he had told him before was true. He seemed genuine enough, and just Levi’s type. The fact that he was also insanely attractive was an added bonus, really.

“I guess it is. I’m Levi.”

“Levi… I like how it sounds. About what we were talking before… if you really don’t mind my company, would you like to get out of here?”

 

 

They took a walk, venturing into the forest with a calm pace, enjoying the frizzy, cool air of the night. They chatted leisurely about all and nothing, moon now high in the sky and shining down on them with its silvery light, the trees casting shadows all around them. It was eerie, a slight sinister perhaps, and definitely thrilling.

At the party everyone had been drunk anyway, it wasn’t like there had been much to do. Levi liked to lay low whenever he got dragged to events like that, and this time he hadn’t know anyone -many of them were from other different universities, so luckily no one bothered him, except Eren, which he was glad. He had checked in on Hanji before going, but when he had not found her around the bonfire and had taken out his phone to call her, he had felt happy that she had had the decency to leave him a message - _Saw you talking to Eren-hottie!! Go get him, tiger! ’m going home with Moblit ;3;3_

Since he had been relieved from babysitting Hanji, he had accepted quickly the idea of a refreshing long walk through the wood, trees so wide apart from one another that the space around there loomed over them in a welcoming, almost magical way.  

“If you were interested in law school, why did you choose medicine?”

Eren seemed to think hard about it, frowning at the ground as if it had personally angered him.

“My father is a doctor. For as long as I can remember, he had always wanted me to pursuit the medical field, to follow his footsteps. I didn’t want to, at the beginning, but then my mother got ill -cancer. He introduced me some of his… research, and I felt like I wanted to go with that. So, I changed my educational plans” he briefly explained, never looking at his side, toward Levi.

The raven haired felt as if he had trespassed into hostile territory, Eren’s amicable and peculiar demeanor cracking a bit under the touchy subject.

“I’m sorry” Levi said, keeping a fair distance and throwing just a careful glance at his companion. “I didn’t want to bring back painful memories.”

Eren smiled tenderly at that, a tormented shadow still clouding his expression.

“Don’t be, really, what’s done it’s done and now I am who I am. No need of  _what ifs_. If anything, my life brought me here, with you.”

Levi shook his head, cackling lightly, ignoring his accelerated heartbeat.

“That was just too cheesy.”

“Ah, so you have rules for this kind of things?”

“What kind of  _things_  are we talking about?”

The brunet just smiled maliciously.

“Things like going into the forest with someone you barely know, hoping to have a good time?”

They both smiled, shoes crushing twigs and small branches in their casual walk.

“Is that what you are hoping for?” Levi asked, biting his lower lip in hesitation, feeling Eren’s gaze on his skin. He felt strange. Usually, he didn’t flirty with cute, random students, letting them convince him into taking a stroll through the wood at night, alone, talking about anything and nothing at the same time. Something in his stomach kept churning, twisting in worry, anxious of something ruining that strange experience -probably himself, with a bad joke or his awkward behavior.

Eren didn’t seem annoyed, though.

“Maybe. Depends on our definition of  _good time_ ” he answered, looking at him from under his lashes with that shadow from before looming quietly, darkening his smirking face.

Levi felt electricity dance onto his skin, his legs getting weaker, being at the receiving end of those eyes. Their impossible color had taken a pale blue shade in the moonlight, colder than when they had been reflecting the tongues of flame coming from the bonfire. He had the impression he was being evaluated and that Eren, vigilant but intrigued, was waiting for something decisive to happen. His eyes were so expressive he couldn’t help but try to read them. They froze Levi on the spot, drying his lips and forcing him to wet them with his tongue. Eren followed the movement, lightening up every single one of Levi’s nerve.

“It’d be easier if I showed it to you.”

The raven haired’s hands grasped the flaps of his leather jacket and pulled him in, only this time there was no one to bother them.

Their mouths collided greedily, fingers yanking and pushing at their clothes they were as close as they could, Levi on his toes, Eren wrapped around him, making his back arch. The brunet’s hair was like silk under his fingertips, Levi using it as leverage to keep his head tilted up and taste Eren’s essence on his tongue.

Kissing him soon became the best part of the night, even while it was still happening. It was slow and meticulous, not hurried and drunk by alcohol and other shit. Eren took his time, exploring his mouth and spoiling every spot, every nerve ending, licking his lips and nibbling on his lower lip softly. It elicited a pleased hum from Levi, excitement cursing through his veins and spreading adrenaline in his bloodstream.

They stayed there, smooching pathetically like two teenagers for what felt like hours, inhaling quickly whenever they could before dragging the other into another kiss.

Levi had never felt so alive before.

When they broke off, they were both out of breath, lips red and puffy and cheeks flushed.

“Was it what you had in mind?” Levi panted, back scratching against the trunk he didn’t know he had been pressed on until then. Awareness of the outside world came back to him in a rush and then slowly, taking in their disheveled state and prominent bulge against their jeans. He wanted to laugh, and then call Hanji to tell her everything -she would probably accuse him of lying to her.

“It hit pretty close to home, yeah” Eren admitted with a smile, leaning forward with his forehead against his. “Let me show you something” he then suddenly proposed, taking his hand and helping them both into metaphorically getting back on their feet. He led Levi farther into the forest, where the trees got thicker and the shadows deeper, eating up much more light than before.

Unnerved a bit from the long walk and still shaky from their previous kiss, he looked around, assessing how dark it had gotten.

“Aren’t we too far from the fire by now?” he noted when, once turning back to make a guess on their position, the gleam of the fire seemed to have suddenly disappeared.

“Don’t worry, I have a pretty good sense of direction. Besides, I already wanted to take you somewhere.”

What did that mean? Maybe their walk hadn’t been that casual and aimless after all?

“You know this wood well?”

Eren shrugged, distractingly, focused on his search for something.

“You can say that I do. I used to live in this zone, and you can imagine what a forest like this could do to a curious kid. I drove my parents mad all the time because I wanted to play hide and seek.”

Somehow, Levi could imagine that -a little, bright brat running around, chasing small animals without taking a break and trying to climb up the highest trees, stressing his parents to a fault.

Their pace picked up when Eren eagerly dragged him forward, announcing:  _there it is!_  Following his gaze, it took him a bit to locate the object at issue, but when he did dread finally started seeping into Levi’s chest, making his stop, feet heavy.

It was a hut, probably, some kind of disheveled cottage hidden from view by foliage and slim and wide trunks alike. Even though it appeared to be damaged and mistreated by the elements, at a close look it wasn’t really in bad shape.

Eren urged him forward gently, his hand feeling suddenly unfamiliar and stiff in Levi’s hold. He took it away, hazily, noticing that he was sweating hard and swallowing a couple of times. He opened his mouth to say something, but the brunet beat him.

“You surprised me, you know?”

“Uh?” Levi enquired, unable to reply otherwise.

“You seemed a bit hostile, at the beginning, so I wasn’t sure I had made the right pick, but there was something… captivating, about you, all alone in a corner… I’m glad I met you” he confessed softly, gaze turning shy and fingers twisting nervously. He lifted Levi’s chin with a gentle caress, thumb brushing slightly against his cheekbone, tilting his head to the side and lowering his face to his neck, kissing it with tender licks of his tongue.

“I can’t wait to put my hands on you… to see what makes you tick, what parts of your body are the most delicate…”

Levi wanted to take a step back and ask him if they could go back, but his limb didn’t respond to the command, melting under Eren’s touch. The point was, he didn’t feel like staying there anymore. He brought hands on Eren’s shoulders, slowly, shoving them without real strength.

“Can- can we go back? I feel-“

Before he could add more, he was pushed against the wall of the hut, hard, the back of his head slamming onto the wooden border of the small window behind him. He blinked rapidly, eyes watering for the pain, a wet sensation sliding through his hair and on his nape. He brought his fingers to it and, retreated them to his face, expression horrified at the sight of blood.

His thoughts were joggled and Levi’s head was splitting in two. What the hell was going on there, and why did he feel like he couldn’t move of think clearly at all?

“Oh, there’s no need! Father said I should just take you apart like I always do and experiment to bring forward our research, but… I think I want to keep you all to myself.”

“W-wha-“

“Sssh, don’t strain yourself or the poison I gave you will give you a headache. I’ll take good care of you, no need to worry” he whispered, noting how hard Levi’s legs were shaking and catching him just in time. He took him into the cottage carefully, an arm under his knees and the other wrapped around his back, the raven’s forehead resting on his chest.

Inside, the hut was bare as the outside, with the exception of an old mattress thrown on the ground and a large, scruffy duffel bag. He put Levi down on the makeshift bed, unphased by he weak attempt of moving away. It couldn’t so much as shift, let alone actually leave from there without help.

Tears cascaded freely from the corner of Levi’s eyes, descending on his temple and disappearing into his hair. He felt terror grip his gut and tighten its hold every time Eren’s beautiful eyes swept over him while he kept moving around the place, taking things out of the bag and setting them above Levi’s head, were he couldn’t see them.

When he finished, he walked toward him and crunched down, crawling up onto the mattress and hovering on all fours over him.

Levi’s irises met Eren’s, and that sinister, lunatic look made him abandon every hope he had left.

“Let’s have some real fun.”


End file.
